Almost
by nwrites
Summary: AU. FourTris. Tobias has been gone for almost 12 months and returns home from the army to find a surprise. One-shot.


_Third POV_

* * *

It had almost been a year. Almost 12 months. Almost 365 days.

 _It had felt like forever._

Tris stared anxiously at her blurred reflection in the mirror of the bathroom in her apartment. _Their_ —apartment.

Tobias had been gone for so long that sometimes she forgets he even left. It's a hard concept for her to explain because all she gets from her friends when she replies with the same exact answer is a puzzled look fragmented with sympathy. She didn't need that from her friends, nor did she need it from Tobias' friends who had already finished their tours, but Tobias' frequent departures meant that Tris had become accustomed to living alone without necessarily feeling lonely.

But this time it was different, she doesn't remember a time where she missed him to an extent where she could feel a physical ache settling in her heart.

She felt the regret of deciding to shower before going to the airport—not having seen the pointlessness before she stepped into the shower, because right now she was certain she was going to sweat right through her dress.

Tris was never a fan of dresses, so she made an effort to make it clear that dressing up was only for special occasions. And a special occasion it was, because after today she was either going to make it, or break it.

With a light touch of make-up she proceeded to make sure everything was in-check before she left the apartment. She didn't want Tobias coming home for a bloody war zone to a war zone that was actually their home. _That is only if he doesn't run for the hills when he finds out._

Tris deems herself foolish at the mere thought of Tobias doing that. It had taken more than a few months to retain her old-self once she found out and with the heavy aid of Christina and Shauna being with her every step of the way. Yet there's still not a day she goes without doubting her future without Tobias not beside her because she can never be sure.

She remembers the night Tobias and her spent before he left, and she remembers two weeks later when she found out she was pregnant with Allyson and the news had flipped her fairly routine life on it's back.

Back then, she went through a period of shock and something between a stage of depression and anxiety but she was entitled to it because there was no certainty that Tobias would return home to father their daughter. That had sent her through another downward spiral.

The two had kept in touch as best as they could in terms of communication. On the rare occasions that they would write to each other, they tried to fill every blank with all the important things the other had missed. She almost broke down again when she found out that Tobias had been shot in the shoulder in an attempt to cover Zeke. The bullet had entered and exited and landed in Zeke's vest.

While Tobias had told her everything he could in the span of his letters, Tris left out any mention of Allyson—she did it out of reason of course, she couldn't have him being distracted in the middle of a war-stricken country. Tris' emotions had been conflicted during her pregnancy and Christina had insisted it was pregnancy hormones, but she wasn't pregnant anymore and conflicted didn't begin to cover half of what was going through her head.

A piercing cry brought her back to reality. Tris darted into the nursery that Will and Uriah had put together in the absence of Tobias and her eyes landed on her sun-kissed baby squirming and whining in her crib. Allyson Eaton was definitely her fathers daughter and having not seen Tobias for almost a year, it was nice to see a splitting image of her father in her. Everything aside from the blonde hair screamed Tobias, everything down to those deep-ocean eyes and hooked nose.

Picking her up, Tris soothed her baby into a comfortable silence before a notification light up the screen of her phone reminding her that she had to start heading to the airport now of she didn't want to get caught up in traffic.

Her mind went into over-drive again as the panic that was momentarily forgotten comes full force at her again. The bile that was quick to rise up in her throat was swallowed down as she disregarded all the many ways this afternoon could go wrong. She had faith in Tobias, but that didn't stop her from being scared. She didn't want her baby to grow up without a father.

* * *

The airport was as crowded as it usually was on a Sunday. _Which meant that it was packed._

Hopefully the arrival area wouldn't be too crowded. Tris didn't want many people to see what might go down.

Tris steadily rolls the stroller in front of her, keeping the visor down seeing as Allyson was sleeping and constantly glances down at her watch to check the time.

 _4:05PM._

Tobias has already landed according to the board above her and surely enough, the anxiety returns and settles at the pit of her stomach and ceases to go away.

She arrives at the International Arrivals waiting area where she sees others also anxiously waiting for people who are set to arrive today, some holding signs, others rocking back and forth on their heel out of excitement, some even waiting for soldiers like her. Tris decides to stand in a partially less crowded area and a place where Tobias can't see her immediately, somewhere in-between the back and the middle. Tobias didn't know Tris was coming to see him because usually, Tobias liked to drop by without a prior word and catch her off guard. But today, she was going to win that game.

Slowly, passengers started filing out from behind the walls and Tris watched families re-unite with loved ones from afar while she waited for Tobias.

A few minutes later, Tris catches a glimpse of the first army uniform and her heart begins to pound hard and fast in her chest, like it wants to beat right out.

Tris see's Zeke first, and then Tobias is there but he's not looking around like Zeke is for Shauna, instead he's looking down at a small box in his hand, smiling, and then it's like she can't control her body any longer because all of a sudden she shaking and before she can stop her self something that resembles a broken sob erupts from her throat. Tris' hands fly to her mouth as she sees all heads turn to her, including Tobias'.

The tears well up in her eyes and Tobias doesn't have enough time to register his shock because Tris' legs give out as she falls to her knees. Tobias breaks away from his state of surprise and starts to push himself toward her, trying not to run down any bystanders in the process.

Tobias' duffel bag drops to the floor and he falls to his knees too when he nears his girlfriend, skidding right up to her and engulfing her in his embrace. It's hard to tell who's crying but both their shoulders are shaking and their hands are gripping each other like a lifeline. They ignore the applause around them, probably because it's for all the soldiers that have returned today.

It's had been almost a year since they had been in each other's arms, _almost a year too long._

Tobias pulls away far enough to see Tris' tear stricken and the fear and worry masked in her eyes. "I love you," he pulls her to him again, squeezing, "I love you so much," he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. Her own reply is muffled by Tobias' jacket so she nods anyway. There was a chance that Tobias wouldn't be here today, and it was brings them both to tears.

Once the couple had regained their composure they stood up but continued to stare at each other, they're eyes roaming for anything and everything they'd missed the past year. The sound of a baby crying is what brings them both back to Earth.

A frown etches onto Tobias' forehead because he's annoyed that someone with a distressed child is standing so close to them, but when he sees Tris step towards the stroller Tobias failed to see before, his breathing begins to pick up as his eyes widen. His mouth goes dry and hands squeeze into fists by his sides because he doesn't know what to think but all of a sudden he has more adrenalin running through his veins than he's ever had out in the field and he doesn't know what to think.

Tris stops herself before opening the visor and takes a needed breath, she looks to see Tobias' anxiousness and reaches for one of his hands, curling her own around his and bringing him closer to the stroller. There are tears rolling down Tris' face but she doesn't acknowledge them, instead she reaches out with her free hand to open the visor, revealing Tobias to the daughter he never knew he had.

Tobias is completely frozen, so overcome with emotions he wouldn't know what to label but he hears the baby cry again and he looks to Tris, his own tears shining in his eyes, and the nod she gives him answers every unsaid question between them. _He has a daughter._

Slowly, Tobias reaches into the stroller and holds his daughter for the first time. It's enough to reduce him to tears. Tobias can't remember the last time he cried, but today he didn't think to care. _He has a daughter._

"What's her name?" He whispers without breaking his eye contact with _his_ baby, mesmerised by the fact that she's partially his.

"Allyson— Allyson Eaton." Tris' voice cracks and Tobias holds Allyson to his chest while circling his other hand around Tris and hugging her to his side. Tris reaches out and holds the her daughters feeble hand as she clings tightly to the both of them, finally calming down. "Tobias, I'm so sorry I never told you–"

Tobias' lips cut her off as he kisses her for the first time in almost a year. When he pulls away he stares at her with so much adoration and love that Tris silently questions wethers it's directed at her or not.

With their now-sleeping daughter resting on his right shoulder he looks, Tobias slowly drops down onto one knee and reaches into the back pocket of his army uniform and pulls out a small black box. This time Tris' hands covers her mouth and her heart rate spikes for a different reason.

"Tris Prior," he clears his throat, smiling through his words and glossy eyes, "I've been through a lot of things and seen things that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life. I've been close to death more times than I can count on my two hands, but every time I was, all I could think about was you. About how I wouldn't get a chance to call you my wife–to live the rest of my life with you and I don't think I can go another second without you Tris. Please marry me?"

" _WHIPPED!_ " Zeke yells from a distance, an 'ow' follows close by as he earns a smack upside the head from Shauna eliciting laughter from Tris and Tobias.

"So..."

"Yes, Tobias. A million times, yes," Tris whispers trying to contain her excitement, taking in the picture of her to-be-husband and her daughter. Tobias is quick to get back on his feet and he doesn't think it's possible to wipe the smile stretching his face almost painfully.

All the questions that were brewing in their minds would have to wait until tomorrow because after waiting almost a year, Tris was finally able to let go of her worries.

* * *

 _I've had the idea of this one-shot for quite a while and lately I've been painfully sick and writing is the only thing I've had an appetite for. Let it be known though, this is not my best work– this was more of a writing for the fun of it and wanting to share it with all of you._

 _Also, Tobias is army uniform though... ;) (and how good are Justin Bieber's songs? This is a new revelation for me)_

 _Hope you guys liked it, I'd really appreciate it if you guys left a review :)_

(For updates with my writing, regarding Fast and Furiously Divergent and one-off's like this follow my tumblr: _**nwritings**_ )


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